Lilac: In the Kitchen

Blooms of Lilac have exploded here in Minneapolis.  My favorite thing to do, this time of year, is swipe a few branches here and there.  The pretty shades of pastel got me yearning for some macarons.  Lavender with orange buttercream.

Sun and Shine

Last year, I took a very spontaneous trip to Phoenix with my pal, Danielle.  Originally we merely intended to escape the lingering winter blues and Arizona happened to be the cheapest and warmest destination.  What I didn't realize is that the Southwest is pretty rad.  We stumbled upon cactus blooms in April, and since then I have wanted to take my mom.  So for the next week or so, I will be a bit out of commission, but in a good way.

Weekend Fun: At Art Crank

Last Saturday me and every other biking enthusiast in Minneapolis gathered for the opening night of the 6th annual Art Crank  show.  This year it was held at Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art and has been one of the best venues thus far.  Having attended 4 out of the last 6 shows I am so happy to see how it has grown in attendance every year.  It is obvious that the art supports the cycling community and the community supports the art.  I had a lot of favorite prints this year which got me thinking about working up something of my own for next year.... If you missed opening night, don't fret, posters will be on exhibit at One on One Bikes until May, 12th.

 One of the best show upgrades over last year was the food trucks lined up along the street.  I finally got to check out Hola Arepa!

Mosaics

Last Wednesday, my friend Danielle and I took a class at Mercury Mosaics. We had gotten a groupon for the class and I was excited to try my hand at designing a mosaic.  We could choose between a wall panel or a mirrored piece.  We both went for the mirror.  The class was fun and we took a short tour of the facilities afterwards.  They make all their tiles in house for commercial and private interiors.  I wish I had a reason to use some of them in my kitchen, but for now I will be happy with my mirror.  I took my project home glued and ready to grout.  I can't wait to share my final piece. 

Weekend fun: With kids

A few weekends ago I flew home to help my mom take care of my nieces, Matea and Elodie, and nephew Meris while my sister, Jen, and brother in law, Ariel, were in Italy for a mini getaway.  I arrived late Friday night and woke up at 7AM (7!) to Meris quietly hovering over the bed.  I am not sure how long he had been standing there, but I was taken by surprise.  After a few moments, I asked him for a hug.  At the age of six (almost 7) he is now old enough to be bathroom independent, thank goodness, but not too old to climb into my arms for a spooning cuddle.  He said, "You know what Imo Kim?"  "What?", I replied.  "Matea and I were talking and we want to make a cake with you." he said matter of factly, as though they had discussed this in absolute detail.  "Is that so?  What kind of cake?"  I responded.  I had already been forewarned of this special request, by my mom.  "Anything."  he replied, "It just can't be all pink!"

Later, at breakfast, I asked Matea what kind of cake she wanted to help make and she excitedly responded "PINK!".

In the end we settled on rainbow, we did, however, forgo the yellow layer for a pink one as the entire cake could not be pink free.  In addition to cake baking we also...

 Gathered spring violets.

Made a crown.

Took a trip to Monkey Bizness, where Matea asked me oh so sweetly to play make believe mom and baby. The second I responded, "Sure.", she screamed "MOM!  Come here!".  I think I was tricked into that one.  I guess the job is equally as hard in make believe too.

Had ice cream for lunch.....just once.  And, yes, it does spoil your meal, but I am pretty sure I got some major Imo points!

Got lost in the maze at the Morton Arboretum.  

Had a blast on the adult friendly playgrounds at the Children's Garden.

Painted our nails.

Dyed some Easter eggs.

 Took a trip to Target, 

the park and...

admired ducks at Cosley farm, where Matea raced up to the Shetland Pony Pen and yelled, "SHET-Ahh-LAND PONY" 3 times at the top of her lungs before declaring, "It smells disgusting!" and walked away.

One day, I was told, very matter of factly, by Matea that my nose was "extra big" and later that day Matea said, "Uncle Ben (my brother), Maggie (my sister and law) and me are much more beautiful than you."  I am not sure how that popped into her head.  She hesitated, glanced at me and stated, "Imo Kim too!".  Phew... and here I was getting a nose complex. Maybe an extra big nose is a good thing in her book.

Weekend fun: At Sky Zone

Have you ever heard of Sky Zone? It's this amazing trampoline park with a foam pit, a dodgeball court and an open jump area all filled with wall to wall trampolines.  After watching the video on the site, I had to try it.  So on Sunday 4 good friends and I headed out to Oakdale, MN to try our hand at trampolining.  It was amazing.  Later I tried 2 more new things.  Rusty Taco and Freestyle Yogurt.  It was a good day.